Australians Told to Avoid “Gold Viagra” Pills

It’s never a long wait for a new counterfeit Viagra scam to emerge.

Viagra is one of the most counterfeited drugs in the world, if not the most counterfeited. It’s highly effective, it’s fairly expensive, and it addresses an issue that many men would rather not talk about with their physicians or partners. Unfortunately, the world is full of people who are willing to exploit this perfect storm of consumer demand by selling knock-offs.

It would be bad enough if the fakes were simple placebos with starch or sugar inside, but many counterfeits contain ingredients that are dangerous or even deadly. A new product known as “Gold Viagra” that has come ashore in Australia falls into the dangerous category. The risks are potent enough that Australian health officials are warning the public about these products.

Australian Health Officials Issue Warning

Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration has warned Australians to stay away from a product called “Gold Viagra,” also known as “Kangaroo Sexually Invigorating Essence.” It is sold online and the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service is doing what it can to stop any more from entering the country. Packages are labelled in Chinese and contain yellow, crescent-shaped tablets. Stamped on either side is “Goldviagra.”

Health officials warn men who have the product to stop taking it at once. They can take any remaining tablets to their local pharmacy so they can be disposed of safely.

What’s In “Gold Viagra” Pills?

The Therapeutic Goods Administration tested the tablets and found that they contained both sildenafil and tadalafil, both undeclared in labelling. Sildenafil is the active ingredient in Viagra, and tadalafil is the active ingredient in Cialis. Both Viagra and Cialis are prescription drugs. The reason the fake products are so dangerous is that they put men at risk of serious side effects including dangerously low blood pressure and sudden vision loss. This counterfeit product has not been tested for quality, safety, or effectiveness, nor has its place of manufacture been approved.

Sildenafil and tadalafil must be taken at carefully prescribed doses. Both Viagra and Cialis are available in a number of different dosages, and physicians prescribe the lowest dose they believe will be effective. You’re only supposed to take one of these products in a 24-hour time period. With the knock-offs, there is simply no way of knowing how much sildenafil or tadalafil you’re ingesting.

Chicago Guilty Plea Over Counterfeit Viagra

Australia isn’t the only place dealing with counterfeit Viagra. Earlier in 2015, Chicago pharmacist Michael Markiewicz pleaded guilty to buying fake Viagra and Cialis from China and selling it to customers at his pharmacy between 2010 and 2012. Markiewicz lost his license and his pharmacy’s license in 2012 after obtaining around 1,600 counterfeit erectile dysfunction drugs, according to the plea agreement.

Markiewicz would sell the fakes to customers at his pharmacy who did not have prescriptions. He was originally charged with multiple counts of violating the Food Drug, and Cosmetic Act as well as trafficking in counterfeit goods and smuggling. Under the plea agreement, he pleaded guilty only to trafficking and dispensing counterfeit Viagra, which could get him up to 20 years in prison and a $5 million fine. Sentencing is expected to take place this July.

Atlanta Man Arrested for Importing, Selling Fake Viagra

An Atlanta area man named Dan Huggins was arrested in November 2014 after law enforcement with a search warrant found more than 7,000 counterfeit Viagra and Cialis tablets in his home. The counterfeits were manufactured in China and mailed to Huggins, who then sold them on Craigslist, shipping them or meeting people in person to sell them. The manufacturers of Cialis and Viagra told police Cpl. Michael Camp that most counterfeit pills contain ingredients like ground up newspaper, ground up rubber, and usually contain little to none of the active prescription ingredient. However, there’s no way to tell what’s in the tablets without submitting them for laboratory analysis. Pfizer, maker of Viagra, has a laboratory devoted to analyzing suspected counterfeit Viagra. Huggins was charged with possession of drugs with intent to distribute, forgery, and counterfeiting, among other things.

Drug Counterfeiters in UK Sentenced

A group of counterfeiters in the UK were recently sentenced to several years in prison for selling fake Viagra through a supposed mail order fishing tackle business that made up to £60,000 (around $90,200) per week that was parcelled out to more than 100 bank accounts in the UK and overseas. Judges described it as a “highly organized, large-scale criminal enterprise.”

The leader of the scam, Neil Gilbert of Brighton, was sentenced to six years in prison for his major role in the operation, and his two main accomplices were sentenced to five years and four years on charges ranging from conspiracy to sell or supply a medicinal product without authorization to distributing counterfeit goods to money laundering. Seven others associated with the scam were sentenced to shorter terms behind bars.

The Only Safe Way of Obtaining Viagra

Viagra and similar drugs like Cialis are prescription drugs, so if you see these products for sale without a prescription, you can count on them being knock-offs. The only safe way to obtain these medications is to get a prescription and have it filled by a trusted local, online, or mail order pharmacy.

Men who prefer the convenience of ordering Viagra online can submit their prescriptions to trusted online pharmacies, or work with an online medical facilitator, which can connect them with physicians who can issue a prescription for men that are good candidates for the drugs. Always look for online sources that give a verifiable street address as well as a local phone number corresponding to that street address in addition to any toll-free customer service number they may have.

Conclusion

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